Wheel upgrade for SB95c - what are you thinking of?

So, like most of you I have been eagerly awaiting the 95c. I am on track to a new FS bike this summer and this is the current front runner. I am planning on a race build but was a bit surprised to see the wheelset that was spec'd on these bikes. It seems that the XC style wheels are not matched well to the style of riding the bike is intended for, and a quick search around here has turned up less than stellar reviews/experiences.

Admittedly, nearly $6K is really going to put the hurt on my bank account and an immediate upgrade to a nice set of wheels is not likely. I was wondering what others in this situation (if there are any - if not and I'm being too needy then forget it!) are thinking.

A few options I'm thinking of - buy a cheap set of Flows on Stans hubs right off the bat and upgrade to a much nicer set later. The benefit over riding the stock wheels would be a stronger and wider rim. Option 2 would be to ride the stock wheels and upgrade to a set of either I9 Torches or Roval carbons - this would take some saving. I could then rebuild the stock hubs on Flows for a beater set of wheels. I have toyed with the idea of immediately having the hubs rebuilt to nicer rims, but my mechanic advises against it - citing a better chance to recoup some $$ by selling the stock wheels complete.

King hubs--> Sapim spokes--> Carver Carbon 29er rims hand-built should be under $1500. I've been running mine for a month on my SB-95, and I can't stop ranting about the setup. STIFF, light, easy tubeless setup, and durable. The really transformed the bike!

trumpus: the DT hubs aren't bling-bling but they work just fine. Spend $40 on the 36-point engagement for them and call it done on that part. I replaced the DT rims though with Stan's Flow and they've held up nicely. If you're significantly under 200# I'd think you could use the Arch EX and be fine with them. They'll be much more solid and durable compared to the DT rims and it'll be a cheap-ish change.

The DT 350 hubs, are, IMO, better than the Stan's hubs. I like the drive mechanism more. It's just my opinion though.

trumpus: the DT hubs aren't bling-bling but they work just fine. Spend $40 on the 36-point engagement for them and call it done on that part. I replaced the DT rims though with Stan's Flow and they've held up nicely. If you're significantly under 200# I'd think you could use the Arch EX and be fine with them. They'll be much more solid and durable compared to the DT rims and it'll be a cheap-ish change.

The DT 350 hubs, are, IMO, better than the Stan's hubs. I like the drive mechanism more. It's just my opinion though.

Then, bide your time for the King hub Carbon rim combo. ;^)

I agree 100% about the DT 350's. I've got them on my Niner with the star ratchet upgrade and I love 'em. Super easy to service and solid. My plan was to use them for sure in one way or another - whether it meant riding the stock wheels or lacing them to different rims.

I have Stan's Arch rims on the DT 350 Spline hubs and find it hard to imagine anything stiffer. I'm not sure who would buy those XR400 rims, and I'm not sure why Yeti is so committed to rims that do not match the bike's capability (Yeti gets the rims for cheap I bet). I would go with the Stan's Arch if your under 185, and Flow's if over 200lbs.

Mavic Crossmax ST's for mine, they're light, strong, stiff and come with the fantastic MP3 warranty program so I never have to worry about them. The only problem is that they're sat waiting here for the frame to turn up!...

I've no clue why Yeti would spec those wheels unless they just happen to be what they already had on hand from the Big Top.

They probably make sense for the new ARC though, for the intended purpose.

.6 pounds on the wheel is big in terms of marketing, of course not to guys that know whats up. It's the difference of bikemag being able to say the bike weighs 27.5 pounds vs 28.1 pounds (just an example). Couple that with the weight savings earned through not stocking it with a dropper post and it all starts to add up (again, from a marketing perspective). The only reason I don't think it's because it's just a wheel they have laying around is because they also equip the 66c race with the same wheel. Also, these have 142x12 rear axles, unlike the QR on the big top.

I paid $125 extra to get the Stan's Arch EX wheelset when I bought my sb95 complete from my LBS. Please don't tell me my LBS is the only one that does this.

That is certainly at the shop's discretion as it is not an upgrade available from Yeti directly. I can only guess that they gave you a credit for your stock wheels, kept them, and sold you the Arch wheels at a discount.